Mumbai Airport Offers Airlines Shift or Suspension Options

Mumbai airport’s operator told airlines on October 19 that they could transfer some or all operations to Navi Mumbai, suspend services until Terminal 1 reopens in 2030, or consider other arrangements from summer 2027. The Economic Times reported the options, citing people familiar with the development, as carriers challenged proposed changes to their existing flight slots.

Adani Group-controlled Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) says redevelopment at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport requires a temporary reduction in annual passenger-handling capacity of about 5 million. The airport currently has capacity for 55 million passengers a year.

The operator’s latest letter to the Airline Operators Committee (AOC) comes during a disagreement over transferring international traffic to Navi Mumbai International Airport. Both airports are controlled by Adani Airport Holdings.

Airlines say consultations do not amount to consent

MIAL’s position is that each airline can determine its own operating plan for the summer 2027 schedule. It has also promised to restore carriers’ historic slots once Terminal 1’s redevelopment is complete, according to the people cited in the report.

The operator described discussions between airline network-planning teams and its Airport Operations Control Centre as voluntary consultations intended to explore alternatives.

The AOC, which represents commercial airlines, disputes any suggestion that participation in those discussions signals acceptance. It says its members have neither agreed to move international operations to Navi Mumbai nor authorised reductions or cancellations of their allocated slots at the existing Mumbai airport.

Capacity justification comes under scrutiny

The committee has questioned why the redevelopment requires slot curbs. It points to Terminal 1’s current annual capacity of less than 10 million passengers and an expected addition of 5 million in annual passenger capacity at Terminal 2 by March 2027.

On that basis, the AOC says MIAL has not substantiated the need to reduce or cancel slots. That remains the airlines’ assessment: MIAL maintains that the work requires a temporary capacity reduction.

The committee has requested a full Terminal 1 refurbishment plan covering the work’s scope, a structural safety assessment, construction phases and timelines. It also wants terminal-by-terminal figures for capacity and utilisation.

Response sought before October 28 meeting

The AOC has asked MIAL to reply by 5 pm on October 21 and confirm that it will not unilaterally change traffic allocations or slots while consultations and compliance with applicable guidelines remain pending.

Its request cites the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s May 2013 slot-allocation guidelines and IATA’s Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines. The two sides are scheduled to meet on October 28 to discuss the arrangements.

Two-airport operations raise cost and network concerns

Airlines have warned that dividing services between airports roughly 50 km apart creates commercial and operational difficulties. Their concerns include aircraft and crew scheduling, ground handling, maintenance and connecting journeys.

Stefan Gumuseli, general manager of Air France-KLM, said operating from two bases in the same city would weaken efficiency, divide teams and ground-handling arrangements, and complicate management of its long-haul network. For international carriers running only a limited number of flights, the report describes such a split as commercially difficult.